A closed question is one that expects a yes or no answer. Closed questions tend to shut down the conversation, and direct it in the directions implied by the question. Examples: Have you thought of taking more breaks? Have you spoken to him about it? Are you going to put up with it, or say
Presuppositions are implicit assumptions or background beliefs in a statement (or question, or command) which the listener has to take on board for the statement to make sense. They are important because: They often fly under the radar of conscious awareness, so they can frame the direction of a conversation without either party being aware
“The inquiry is the intervention” – the ‘Simultaneity Principle’ from Appreciative Inquiry Note: I’m currently writing a combined Coaching Skills and NLP Diploma course, and I’ve decided to blog some of the new bits pretty much as I write them. So these entries will be aimed at current or aspirant coaches, including anyone who uses
Robert Cialdini, professor of psychology at Arizona State University, is the world’s leading authority on the psychology of influence and persuasion. His studies, summarised in the great book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, identify six principles of persuasion – essentially, six ‘buttons’ that, left to itself, the human brain responds to automatically. I should point
